Page No. 62-69, Naveen Kashyap
.
Prospective memory deals with remembering and executing future intentions. The execution of intentions is dependent on event, time or activity that acts as cues to signal the remembrance of the intention and its successful execution. The present study attempts to compare the efficiency of these cues on prospective memory tasks. Further, the study also evaluates the role of stimuli valence on event, time and activity based cues on prospective memory tasks. To complete the study the prospective memory tasks that were dependent on event, time and activity cues were developed. Emotional and neutral words from Affective Norms for English Language (ANEW), selected using pre-designed criteria were presented to subjects as ongoing tasks. The subjects were required to execute actions following the event (press key on X-letter word appearance), time (press key after every 30 seconds) & activity cue (retuming filled in questionnaire about emotional task). The data obtained were subjected to mixed model 2 x 3 ANOVA with valence (positive, negative) as between subject & prospective memory type (event, time, activity) as subject factor which revealed significant main effects of prospective memory type [F (1, 38) = 70.59, p < 0.001, n? = 0.54]. Repeated measure ANOVA comparing positive & neutral and negative & neutral across all types of prospective memory revealed better accuracy of prospective memory tasks across positive than negative or neutral stimuli. The results of the study indicate clear difference among cue types with event based cues being most effective in remembering future intentions. In addition, the positive emotional stimuli benefitted the remembrance of future intentions.